Music And We

(RECORDED DECEMBER 16, 2018) Yes...  Keep one eye open, y'all.  It's better late than never that people are posthumously catching the crucial messages in both MJ and Prince's music; but for us, we felt a need to go deeper into our interpretations of the songs' contexts.  And besides, Prince has about two billion songs, and we could not possibly cover them all in one episode.  Or even two.  One of...

(RECORDED DECEMBER 9, 2018) If you've been listening to us so far, we are sure you saw this coming.  Both Prince Rogers Nelson and Michael Jackson have been polarizing figures in musical discussions for years; but they have also been seen by many as (for some reason) being musically blind to the issues facing us 'normal' people.  To that we say... ARE YOU KIDDING??!!  While MJ did not have as many...

(RECORDED DECEMBER 2, 2018)  We grind and grind away all day on this podcast and still...  There were so many songs we did not mention (we see you, Underneath The Cream, Gett Off, International Lover, Rock With You, Adonis and Bathsheba and the countless others); we also know doing that would end up being a 6-hour marathon.  So..  While you're here, ride with Jesse/Jester and jamilah as we explore...

(RECORDED NOVEMBER 25, 2018) The usual arguments in favor of comparing Michael Jackson and Prince have to do with their superficial qualities, like their 'falsetto' voices, or the lack of hypermasculine performance.  People also consistently argue (in a contrasting sense) that PRN could play a wealth of instruments while MJ could not at all- IS THIS EVEN TRUE??!!  While the two have definite disti...

(RECORDED NOVEMBER 18, 2018) Jesse/Jester and jamilah discuss the benefits and the difficulties of the existence of bootlegs.  Are they a good thing?  Are they of benefit to the artist?  What are ways the masses could have access to music, yet respect the artist at the same time? 

(RECORDED NOVEMBER 11, 2018)  Jesse and jamilah discuss the implications of Prince Rogers Nelson and Michael Jackson's erasure of their African sensibilities.  Did they have a hand in that erasure (as a means of survival); or have people relegated them to a particular musical era, placing them in a bubble of systemic erasure? 

(This was recorded on 4 November 2018) While Jesse has seen the posthumously released documentary covering the preparation for the 50-show residency at the O2 Arena over 30 times (!!!), jamilah has finally broken her 9-year vow of protest, just so we could talk about it on the podcast.  What do we think of this Kenny Ortega-directed project?  Is it respectful to Michael Jackson?  Did the man rock...

There's so much we didn't cover in this episode- how DARE we not even touch Camille!  Covering the nuances and contradictions regarding gender and sexuality when it comes to MJ and PRN is going to take much longer than one podcast episode could give...  But we hope you enjoy (or at least get something out of) this little bit here.  

Here is the accompanying episode to 'The Sacred'...  What is exactly defined as 'profane'?  Can the sacred and profane co-exist in the worlds of Prince and Michael Jackson?  Jesse and jamilah navigate the possible answers to these questions.  For obvious reasons, some of what we say in this episode may be deemed 'profane', so be prepared!   Shamon.

In this 5th episode of Music And We, Jesse and jamilah discuss the concept of the 'sacredness' of words, music, images, etc.; and how contradictions arise based on perceptions of what is sacred.  Are any of these things sacred?  Have times changed to the point where nothing is sacred?  Have we been wrong the whole time?    Are Prince and Michael any less valued as humans based on their own contrad...

Jesse 'Jester' and jamilah speak about the contextual and possible circumstances around the art of Prince Rogers Nelson and Michael Jackson, in regards to their mental health.  It must be noted that this is predominately our opinion, and may or may not reflect the views or experiences of Michael or Prince when they were here.  Please forgive us for the variations in sound, background noises, etc. ...

You get two episodes in a row!  Here, Jesse and jamilah discuss the damaging effects of 'Stan' culture, and how it clouds perception of how artists like Prince and Michael Jackson are seen.  Stan culture denies the humanity of artists in favor of idolization and rationalization of celebrities' problematic behaviors.  

Jesse and jamilah return with another episode (one which is massively late, we might add), continuing to build from the first.  We have not even touched the surface here, but of course it's a start to the conversation.  There will definitely be more to come.  

Welcome to our inaugural episode!  Jesse 'Jester' Jenkins (Europe) and jamilah bourdon (U.S.) have shared a common love and respect for the works of Michael Jackson and Prince for some time now, and advances in technology have enabled us to share the love with the masses.  The show's goal is to examine the sociopolitical nuances of their works, and by extension, lives.  This episode is honoring Mi...